LoPresti Aircraft has taken three firm orders for its F22 sport aircraft, which comes in two versions and starts at $129,000. It has verbal commitments for a further four aircraft. The company is deciding where to locate a factory and intends to manufacture complete aircraft by late 1996. General Avia will supply tooling under LoPresti's North American marketing and manufacturing agreement with the Italian company (Flight International, 26 July-1 August).
The first Stoddard-Hamilton GlaStar kitplane to be built by a customer was exhibited at Oshkosh '95. The high-wing, two-place, aircraft was launched 18 months ago and the company has already shipped 110 tail kits. On display at the show was a GlaStar built by Peter Daetwyler, designer of the MD3-160 Swiss Trainer, who built the aircraft in just three months using Stoddard-Hamilton's hangar. The aircraft is powered by Daetwyler's new FM2600 120KW four-cylinder, horizontally opposed, aircraft engine
The prototype Murphy Aircraft SR 2500 Super Rebel four-seat kitplane, displayed unfinished at Oshkosh, is expected to be completed by November. Murphy has orders for more than 60 of the $17,500 kits and expects to begin delivering tail sets by the end of 1995. The high-wing, all-metal, Super Rebel, has a roomy cabin designed to be used as a sleeping compartment.
Zenith has taken its first US order for the type-certificated CH 2000 two-seat trainer. Zenith is producing CH 2000s at its Midland, Ontario, factory at a rate of 25 a year and has orders from customers in Belgium, Canada, France and India. Once the rate reaches 100 a year, Zenith intends to start a second production line at its headquarters in Mexico, Missouri. The first US customer is Dettinger Aviation, a flight school in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The aircraft will be delivered by the end of August.
Lancair says that it has organised funding to go ahead with certification of the four-seat Lancair ES. Company president Lance Neibauer says that the four-seat fixed-gear aircraft is scheduled for certification in 18 months and production models will be available for delivery, at the same time, at a cost of $135,000. The company is still deciding where to locate production.
Diamond Aircraft has confirmed that it is working on the design of a four-seat aircraft to join its DA2-0 Katana two-seat trainer. Diamond's vice-president of marketing, Earle Boyter, says that he company is aiming to start production of a four-seater in 1997 and that the aircraft will cost around $100,000. "It will have a low operating cost, handle turbulence very well and be very stable," he says. Katana production is now 15 aircraft a month and should double by December.
Source: Flight International
